Unforgivable
by greenleaf-in-bloom
Summary: In James Potter's sixth year, his best friend tried to get rid of their rival, Severus Snape. What if he had succeeded? AU story. Second subcategory: Mystery. (May be PG13 in later chapters.)
1. Prologue: The Prank

Unforgivable  
  
James Potter cursed Sirius Black forever after the death of Severus Snape.  
  
No one knew exactly what had happened, of course. They only knew that Sirius had led him to Remus and that Remus Lupin had returned to the castle, sobbing, with blood on his lips.  
  
The authorities never found a body. They never knew what had happened to it. Perhaps Remus had dragged it into the hills after the chase. All anyone seemed to know was that horrors had taken place after sixteen-year- old Snape had broken down the front door.if indeed it had been he who had done so.  
  
Severus' mother never pressed charges against Remus. She thought that insanity was enough of a price to pay for the death of her son.  
  
A week after Remus Lupin was admitted to St. Mungo's, he vanished without a trace. 


	2. The Brothers Apart

Unforgivable  
  
Chapter One: The Brothers Apart  
  
James Potter had never thought he would mourn Severus Snape's death.  
  
But it wasn't only Snape's death that brought him here, it was the death of a long and wonderful brotherhood, now torn apart with a few careless words.  
  
He knew Snape was sitting in Heaven or Hell and hating him right now, hating him for living, hating him for trusting, hating him because the actions leading to this had started as revenge. Sirius had wanted to get back at Snape for hurting James Potter.  
  
James didn't care that as he sat on the grass he had to be careful not to get the bandages covering his leg dirty, and not to move too much, lest he make useless the ones covering his neck, chest, and shoulder. He didn't blame Snape for that any longer, because here and now, there were things less forgivable that had been done.  
  
He felt someone tap his good shoulder, and looked up and around at the man who was now probably his best friend alive, Peter Pettigrew. Peter was looking sadly down at the grave, but, "We've got to get back," he said softly, and James nodded.  
  
"I'm sorry," he said blankly to the stone. He knew that wherever his archrival was, Snape didn't care, but it was better to say it than not to say it.  
  
_-_-_  
  
Sirius fiddled with the fragments of broken wood in his fingers. He deserved worse than he had been given - there was no doubt about that. He was a murderer, a destroyer. He was Dark. He couldn't be called a wizard any longer, not with his wand broken, not when he would never get another.  
  
He heard from behind him a chuckle, and turned to see Regulus in the doorway. "What the Hell are you doing here?" Sirius asked sharply, his voice almost a bark. Regulus was fifteen and their parents were quite proud of the younger son.  
  
"Well," Regulus drawled lazily, rolling his eyes up to look at the ceiling and leaning against the doorframe casually, "you see, I live here."  
  
"Get out."  
  
"Or what, you'll set a werewolf on me?" Regulus laughed and Sirius felt a shock run through his body, as if sparks had just shot through his blood. Red clouded his vision. "Don't be stupid, Sirius."  
  
Sirius stood from the bed, feeling his fingers loosen and the pieces of wood fall from them. They clattered softly to the floor. He saw, as if through a mist, Regulus look up almost in startlement, and then he realized that his fingers were around his little brother's throat tight and that he was hissing unplanned words into the stupid boy's ear.  
  
"Don't say that. Don't you ever say that -"  
  
He was blind, deaf, he could not feel or think, all he knew was that nothing was right or ever would be, that he was a murderer and that now he was acting the part even better. His senses returned, and he could hear a voice cutting through a haze of rage and pain.  
  
"Sirius," Regulus choked, barely audible. "Please."  
  
He let go. He could see fingerprints on his brother's throat; Regulus had collapsed, gasping and coughing, to the floor.  
  
He looked down at the pitiful form, and said in a cold, distant voice that had never belonged to him, "Promise me."  
  
"I promise," the whispered reply came.  
  
It was only then that Cepheus Black appeared in the doorway. "Regulus?" their father gasped, confused, and then his gaze rose slowly to meet Sirius' blazing black-rimmed grey eyes.  
  
"You," the man whispered, and shook his head. "I've wasted too much money and effort on you, boy. This is the last straw. Do you have any idea how much it took to keep you from getting charged as an adult and sent to Azkaban? Do you have any idea how much we had to pay to keep this out of the press as much as we did? Even the little that did leak out has tarnished the good name of Black. You're lucky you're mother hasn't blasted you off the tapestry! And this is how you repay your family?" He gestured in fury at Regulus, who had stood and was massaging his bruising throat. "I'm warning you now, boy. You're on your last chance. You've got a week to shape up or you're out. Now apologize to your brother."  
  
Sirius merely blinked at his father, who stood red-faced next to Regulus. The younger boy shook his head, seeing the look in Sirius' eyes. "It's all right, Father," Regulus said hoarsely, shooting worried glances between the two of them. "I.provoked him."  
  
Ignoring Regulus, Cepheus held up a hand, balling it into a fist. "One week, Sirius," he breathed, calling the young man by his name for the first time since receiving an owl with notification that his eldest son had been placed in Gryffindor.  
  
_-_-_  
  
When they reached the common room at half past two, it was to find Albus Dumbledore sitting in the chair previously occupied by Remus. Upon seeing him there, James looked at his feet and Peter felt tears start in his eyes, of guilt and remembrance and shame.  
  
James sat in his chair and Peter in his own, and when the headmaster did not speak, James, not meeting those blue eyes, asked softly, "Sir? Are we going to be punished?"  
  
As if startled, Professor Dumbedore's head came up sharply. There was a silence, and then, "I would say," the headmaster sighed, speaking in a slow, measured way, "that you have been punished enough."  
  
Peter answered him in a soft voice. "Thank you, sir."  
  
"I cannot imagine how difficult this must be for you," Dumbledore said bluntly.  
  
"Difficult," James said flatly, and blew out a breath. "Wow. No offense, Professor, but difficult doesn't begin to do this justice. I hated Severus Snape. But that doesn't make it any easier. My old best friend, taking revenge for what was done to me, led my arch-rival to my werewolf friend, resulting in Snape's death. Remus came back insane, got taken to St. Mungo's, and today I get the word that he's vanished. Sirius has been expelled, but not punished except for having his wand broken, which I don't think will stop him too much. I mean -"  
  
James flushed suddenly, and Peter shot him a warning look that did not help. Dumbledore had obviously caught it, for his eyebrows raised breifly, but then he sighed and said, "I'm afraid it's getting worse, although I'm not certain what your current opinions on this matter will be. The Ministry of Magic is about to arrest Sirius." 


	3. Misgivings, Misdeeds, and Ministries

Unforgivable  
  
Chapter Two: Misgivings, Misdeeds, and Ministries  
  
Sirius refused to submit to the petty wishes of his father.  
  
He started to pack immediately, then realized how futile this was. There were none of his school supplies that would aid him now. Nonetheless, hopeful, he changed into his only set of Muggle clothes. It hurt to think about them at all - the worn red T-shirt and pair of blue jeans had been given to him by Remus.  
  
Remus.  
  
He put into his pocket what appeared to be a few pieces of wood and a tattered piece of parchment. Both of them were just wishes now, useless little tokens which would never mean anything to anyone. They were sentimental, reminding him of the life - the lives - he had destroyed.  
  
Remus.  
  
He lay on the black silk sheets, looked at the dark walls and the Black family emblem that glared at him from every square foot of the room, and started to cry.  
  
_-_-_  
  
The Department of Magical Law Enforcement had come to a reluctant decision. As if they hadn't got enough on their hands, what with the purist, the Hitler of the wizarding world, Voldemort - or, as frightened people had taken to calling him, You-Know-Who - roaming the countryside, they had a sixteen-year-old killer to deal with.  
  
They had taken six volunteers to go find the Black boy and bring him in. What with the family, difficulties as to getting the authorization to do this had come into play. Finally, however, they had all the correct information, and they were on their way to gather him and take him out of the custody of his parents and into the custody of the law.  
  
For Jasin Columbine, it was his first mission, and he was quite nervous. He had volunteered, however, wishing to prove himself. He wasn't going to back out now.  
  
Number twelve, Grimmauld Place, was a very old and well-guarded house with many windows. All of them were darkened when the DMLE officials arrived, but when they knocked it was only a moment before a boy opened the door, with long dark hair that was roughly cut off just below his chin and stubborn grey eyes.  
  
"Is there a problem, gentlemen?" the boy asked politely, but Jasin, at least, noticed how his eyes had widened when he saw the lettering on their robes.  
  
"Is this the Black residence?"  
  
"It is."  
  
"And is Sirius Black available?"  
  
"Yes, I think so. If you would follow me?"  
  
They moved from the dim light of early morning inside, entering an even dimmer entryway, and moving along for a time until reaching a brightly lit kitchen, where another boy, slightly older with shorter hair, sat at a table with his back to them, wearing Muggle clothing. He did not turn around.  
  
"Sirius?" the boy who had answered the door said hesitantly.  
  
"Regulus, I've warned you."  
  
"Sirius, there are some people here to see you."  
  
"Where?!" Sirius was on his feet in an instant, whirling around and jumping into the air when he saw the six silent DMLE officials standing there. "Oh." He looked suddenly frightened, and waved a hand. Regulus gave him a fleeting glance as he hurried out of the room.  
  
Sirius Black took a step forwards to shake the hand of the man standing closest to him, which happened to be Jasin. His grip was firm and he kept confident eye contact. He shoved his hands into his pockets then, stepped back again, and said carefully, "Well, what can I do to help you?"  
  
"Mr. Black, you've been accused of being responsible for the death of a fellow classmate, Severus Snape, is this true?"  
  
Sirius blinked, opened his mouth blankly as if to say something, then closed it and nodded once.  
  
"Is it true that you led Mr. Snape to the transformation place of a werewolf?"  
  
Another nod, this time accompained by a look of fright in the boy's eyes.  
  
"Is it true that the said werewolf was a friend of yours and you knew very well the dangerous nature of werewolves in their nonhuman form?"  
  
"Yes, sir," Sirius said, throat dry. He groped behind him, picking up an untouched glass of water and downing it in two gulps, never taking his eyes off the man who was speaking.  
  
"And is it true that you did this all with the intention of your actions leading to Mr. Snape's death?"  
  
Sirius dropped the glass. It shattered onto the floor, but he didn't move, seemingly frozen in place and suddenly shaking. After a long moment, he shook his head violently.  
  
"Well then, what was your intention?"  
  
"Sir," Sirius whispered, panic shining in his eyes, "sir, I wanted Snape to know what Remus went through. He had no idea, sir. He had nearly killed one of my friends the day before, sir, and he was constantly trying to hex us -"  
  
"The name of the friend who Mr. Snape 'nearly killed', if you please."  
  
Sirius took in a sharp breath and his lips moved soundlessly.  
  
"Sorry?"  
  
"James Potter," Sirius whispered. "James Thomas Potter, son of Harold and Allison Potter." Tears gleamed in his eyes.  
  
"Is it correct, then, Mr. Black, that your intention was for Mr. Snape to be lead to Remus Lupin so that Mr. Lupin would bite him and Mr. Snape would become a werewolf as well?"  
  
"Sir," Sirius whispered, voice wavering out of control. "Yes, sir."  
  
There was a muttering from the DMLE officers, and Jasin heard one of them distinctly say in an urgent whisper, "Earl, did you see the bruises on his brother's throat? Earl, I think they were handprints."  
  
"Mr. Black," Earl said, in a suddenly dangerous voice, "have you ever tried to kill anyone else?"  
  
"No," Sirius said at once. "Never."  
  
"Not, for instance, your brother Regulus? You never tried to, say, strangle him?"  
  
Sirius' face went deathly pale. He didn't answer, and Earl said quietly, "Find his brother."  
  
A moment later, an also-pale Regulus walked into the room.  
  
"Regulus," Earl said gently, "has Sirius ever hurt you?"  
  
Regulus shook his head slowly.  
  
"Then where did you get the marks on your neck?"  
  
Regulus gasped, shooting a frightened look at Sirius, who was looking at him with desperation, and said in a deathly voice, "I - I snuck into - into Knockturn Alley and - ran into some people who don't - like me very much."  
  
"Could you give us their names?"  
  
Regulus bit his lip hard and, looking terrified, said nothing.  
  
Earl sighed. "Sirius Black, we are hereby going to arrest you and bring you in to the Department of Magical Law Enforcement. You will be placed in a cell and await your trial. The Wizengamot will decide whether or not to charge you as an adult and choose a punishment. We have records of your confession. Anything you say now may be used against you before the Wizengamot. You may choose a defender. Through him or her you may request witnesses to your crime."  
  
Sirius had stood still and silent for all of this, but at these words something dark flickered in his eyes. He looked breifly at Regulus, and said quietly, "Sorry." Earl looked up, cut off midsentence, in time to see Sirius Black vanish. Where he had been stood an enormous black dog. One of the DMLE officials screamed, "GRIM!" while Earl, Jasin, and one of the others lunged at the dog. Jasin grabbed its tail, but too late - Sirius had pulled away. Shooting through one of the glass windowpanes and bounding out of sight, the black dog left in his wake six shocked Ministry representatives, numerous shards of flying broken glass, two upturned chairs, and a fifteen-year-old boy at the window, screaming out the same name over and over again. 


	4. Discontent, Decisions, and Demands

Unforgivable  
  
Chapter Three: Discontent, Decisions, and Demands  
  
James leaned backwards in his seat, hands shaking, and looked across at Peter. Silence had been the key element in the common room for the four hours since Dumbledore had left, both of them sitting wordlessly, thinking or staring blankly into the fire.  
  
"Now what?" Peter said at last, throat dry, meeting James' hazel eyes with his own watery blue ones and shifting in his chair.  
  
There was a long moment of silence. Peter looked away from his friend's sharp, piercing gaze and James sighed, looking away and closing his eyes in weariness.  
  
"I don't know."  
  
Peter stood up, trembling.  
  
"He could end up in Azkaban, James."  
  
"I know."  
  
"He could be there for years."  
  
"I know."  
  
"He could die."  
  
James nodded slowly with his eyes closed.  
  
"If they find out he's an Animagus they might find out we are too."  
  
"I know. They might come to arrest us too. It's unavoidable, Peter. There's nothing we can do."  
  
Peter looked out the window. Dim rays of sunlight were beginning to filter through and there were the sounds of birds chirping and twittering. After another silence, he spoke again, voice soft and wavering.  
  
"Do you think they've got him yet?"  
  
James didn't look at Peter as he responded in a hard voice.  
  
"I don't care." Peter turned around in astonishment to look at him and James returned his stare fiercely. "Is any of this sinking in, Peter? Look at what he's done! He's a murderer. He used us. He used Remus as a weapon. He didn't slip up this time. This is what he wanted to happen, don't you see? He wanted to kill Snape. Everything went exactly as planned, and where's it gotten him? What good has it done? Remus is somewhere, wandering around, mad and unarmed. Snape is dead. He himself is a criminal, wanted by the law. And us? Did he think of us at all? He may say he did this as revenge for what Snape did to me. He may say that. But did he think of what the consequences would be? It's just the two of us now, Peter. He and Remus are. we're never going to be all together again. The Marauders are broken, and he broke them. Can't you see that?"  
  
Peter was still for a moment. Then he stood up and said in a small, strained voice, "Right," and raced away up the stairs towards the boys' dormitory.  
  
James curled his knees up to his chest and wrapped his arms around him. Suddenly, despite the fire, he felt cold.  
  
Peter came down five minutes later, wearing plain robes and with a lumpy school bag. He didn't speak, just walked over to the portrait hole. As he reached out his hand to open it, however, James spoke from near the fire, not turning around.  
  
"You're going to get caught."  
  
"Not if I can help it," Peter snarled, clearly furious.  
  
"You'll be seen. The teachers are up by this time, the ghosts are everywhere. You won't get far."  
  
"I'll get as far as I can. What do you care? One of your friends might get in trouble and you actually care?"  
  
"My only friend."  
  
"What about Remus?" Peter said, his voice rising, face flushed. "You going to call him a murderer now too? You going to pretend you don't care about what happens to him? You going to let him wander alone and insane and unarmed through the countryside, through London, wherever he is? You going to try to forget you were ever his friend? Once they're in trouble, just drop them, you don't care anymore. As long as it's you that's in trouble and them who're getting you out, that's fine, but the other way 'round -"  
  
"Shut up, Peter," James said softly.  
  
"HE WASN'T JUST YOUR BEST FRIEND, JAMES!" Peter screamed. "YOU AREN'T THE ONLY ONE WHO'S LOST THEM!"  
  
"I said shut up," James repeated, turning around. Peter fell silent suddenly. Tears were glistening on both their faces. "Now, if you'll kindly have some patience, I'll go get my things. As I was saying, you won't get anywhere at this time. Not, at least, unless you happen to have an Invisibility Cloak."  
  
_-_-_  
  
Sirius had not been the only one who could take no more.  
  
Regulus knew his parents had the right idea for most things, but when it came to Sirius they saw only a scar to the family name. So he had been an Animagus, and was now on the run from the law? His parents were ashamed.  
  
And as much as Sirius may have hated his younger brother, Regulus was worried about him.  
  
His parents couldn't have cared about their oldest son's well-being as long as he didn't tarnished the name of Black any more than he had already.  
  
But Regulus cared. The moment he had seen his brother vanish and the black dog appear in his place, he had thrown ambition and honor and tradition to the winds. He had to find Sirius. If he needed help, he could not be without it.  
  
Of course, Sirius would never admit it if he needed help. But neither would he deny it. And now his wand was reduced to fragments of wood.  
  
Regulus, however, could still perform magic. He set out silently not five hours after Sirius, and purposely disobeyed his father's final order.  
  
He did not fix the window.  
  
_-_-_  
  
Peter, crammed next to James underneath the cloak, had a feeling that his friend's brisk, cold attitude was going to last some time.  
  
He had only told the truth. He had only said what he was thinking.  
  
And it had worked, hadn't it? James had seen sense and come along. But the chill was still there. Peter wished that despite that James would even look at him, even if the look was angry and harsh.  
  
Peter wished everything could be as it was before. But no, James was right. Sirius had made sure that it would always be different.  
  
They walked right past the library, where a copy of the Daily Prophet had just come in. But they didn't hear Madam Pince's gasp as she read the headline, and perhaps it was for the better. 


	5. Nighmares, Nicknames, and Nothingness

Unforgivable  
  
Chapter Four: Nightmares, Nicknames, and Nothingness  
  
Sleep was a bad thing, a curse word. It was a dark time of monsters that lurked in the shadows, waiting to leap at the unwary victim.  
  
Monsters like himself.  
  
He was in the Shreiking Shack, waiting to see if the others - what others? He was the wolf. He was a solitary hunter. There were no others - waiting to see if they could come. Come! I shall tear them, I shall rip them, I shall bite and feel the sweet blood run in my mouth, I shall taste their taste and hold to it, remember it, kill -  
  
Movement! Movement at the entrance of the tunnel. He slunk warily over. Was it danger? Was it prey, perhaps, waiting for him to rip?  
  
A boy, dark-haired, shivering, wearing black robes. Human! Kill the human!  
  
Inside of him, the voices cried, the overwhelming cries of Kill and the soft, forgotten, ignored weeping of No! No! No!  
  
The boy's eyes had fallen on him! He was watching his killer, watching the wolf who was ready to leap -  
  
With a start, and a cry, the wolf-boy woke alone and wept.  
  
_-_-_  
  
Sleep was welcome if it would take away the numbness.  
  
Regulus Black sat on the bed, his brother's bed, with his knees pulled up to his chest and his arms wrapped around them, shaking.  
  
It had been years since he had cried, much less in front of adults. They had cried out when Sirius had leapt out the window, angry and startled. The man called Earl had turned to the screaming boy at the window and asked him harshly if he had known that his brother had been an unregistered Animagus. But Regulus had not known. Sirius had not told him. Sirius had not told him anything really in years.  
  
Regulus held his own wand. He could return to school next year and finish it with the class under his current one. For now, what mattered was his brother.  
  
He got a quill, and parchment, and ink, and started to write.  
  
_-_-_  
  
The two of them didn't see the headline until the evening.  
  
SIRIUS BLACK ESCAPES DMLE OFFICIALS  
  
James stole the paper instead of buying it because he had no time, despite Peter's nervousness about doing so. He read the article aloud as soon as they left Diagon Alley.  
  
"Sirius Black, recently expelled from Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry, today escaped officials from the Department of Magical Law Enforcement at his parents' home using a transgression that until that point, no one had discovered.  
  
"Sirius Black is an unregistered Animagus - he can turn into a very large black dog. According to the DMLE officials, it has ice-blue eyes. When the officials attempted to arrest him for multiple charges, he transformed and leapt through a window, bounding away to destinations unknown.  
  
"If anyone finds this dog, or sees Sirius Black, they are urged to take action immediately. Mr. Black's wand has been snapped and he will be unable to perform magic.  
  
"Mr. Black was expelled when he was responsible for the death of another student, Severus Snape. Since then, DMLE officials have discovered that there is reason to believe that he also abused his brother Regulus.  
  
"Cepheus and Casseopeia Black insist that they had no idea their son was an Animagus. They expressed their disgust at his actions and say that when he is found, they will not be providing him with support to defend himself.  
  
As of yet, the only sighting of 'a big black dog' occurred six miles north of London."  
  
James looked up at Peter in consternation.  
  
"We've got to find him," Peter whispered, "before they do, James."  
  
"I thought we were going to look for Remus," James shot back, his voice suddenly angry.  
  
"We have no idea where he could be," Peter said pointedly, "and right now, Sirius is in big trouble."  
  
_-_-_  
  
Minerva McGonagall could not remember being more furious and helpless in her life.  
  
Upon finding out that Sirius Black was an unregistered Animagus - such a thing was impossible at his age, impossible! - she had stormed to Gryffindor Tower, searching for Potter and Pettigrew, who although subdued had stayed at school. Potter was still getting top marks in Transfiguration, and to her surprise and delight, he had actually started to be civil. She had actually waited until after lunch, but neither boy had been there, and she decided that they had been raiding the kitchens - again! - and headed to find them.  
  
But she had found Gryffindor Tower devoid of any sign of them. And when she had sent a fourth year up to the dormitory, it was to find that both boys' beds were neat, and many of their things were gone.  
  
She had to restrain herself from starting to curse.  
  
She headed immediately to the Headmaster with the information that the boys were gone, but Dumbledore, somehow, already knew.  
  
This was just typical.  
  
_-_-_  
  
He stole a newspaper that evening, having scavenged around for a Prophet for hours before that point. The headline caught his attention, and left him cursing silently and running down the street, away.  
  
He slept as Padfoot in a dark alleyway, uncomfortable but glad for anything but the despicable silk sheets of the Black family. When he woke up, he had a plan.  
  
By afternoon, he was in the countryside as Sirius, walking down a country road towards the nearest house - a Muggle one where he certainly would not be recognized. Who cared about the International Statute of Secrecy? What did it matter? Once he was caught, he'd be charged as an adult and sent to Azkaban, and when that happened he was sure he would die. There was no question about it - dementors took him to dark corners, and he could not live there. He would die there instead.  
  
He became Padfoot and pretended to limp when he got close enough, and to his delight, a Muggle girl of perhaps eleven came running up to him, all ohyoupoorthing and Mummylookit'sadoggie and canwekeepitMummyplease?  
  
Within an hour, he had been dubbed "Snuffles" and the girl's older brother, about Sirius' own age, had snuck him half a slice of pizza, which he devoured at once.  
  
The children were Ellestacia and Duncan, and Sirius had gotten to almost like them. He wondered vaguely whether he could stay here, safe from the Ministry, but the thought of being a dog forever made his stomach twist. A few days, he decided, and then. . . 


	6. Purpose, Plan, and Panic

Unforgivable  
  
Chapter Five: Purpose, Plan, and Panic  
  
Sirius - Padfoot - Snuffles stayed for three days at the countryside home before the opportunity opened.  
  
The family left to go to town and faithful Snuffles was left behind. He felt only a trace of guilt when he transformed back into Sirius and moved about the house to all the places he had discovered things of value were.  
  
He put the money and anything worthwhile that fit in his pockets, changed back into Padfoot, and left.  
  
He ran alongside the dirt road, headed west.  
  
After a while, he found a house with an open window, and started to bark.  
  
There was no response from inside, and after a few moments, he decided it would be safe enough.  
  
He took several steps back, then ran forward, gathering his body and leaping -  
  
He landed hard on the floor of the kitchen, from the decorations obviously of an older woman who wasn't too well off in the world. A pie was cooling on the table, and Sirius couldn't help himself. He hadn't eaten properly for days - he changed back into himself and searched through the drawers until he found a fork.  
  
The pie was halfway obliterated before he stopped and looked around again.  
  
As it had been accustomed to doing, the situation hit him again - I'm a murderer, Remus, James, Peter, I'm a killer, what I've done is unforgivable, I'm a criminal, I - but he had nothing more to lose.  
  
He moved silently into the next room, and received an enormous electric shock when he saw the woman sitting in a chair, knitting, apparantly unaware that he was there -  
  
And he realized suddenly, looking around the room and back at the woman in panic, surveying his situation, that the woman was deaf.  
  
He started to back away, but she looked up. Her eyes went wide, and she clapped a hand over her mouth.  
  
"It's okay, I'm not going to hurt you -" he began, but then realized it was probably useless.  
  
But he had underestimated the woman. In a slightly slurred and very monotonous voice, she said, "How do I know that? What are you doing here?"  
  
Not only could she speak, she could read lips. Clever, she was.  
  
"I'm sorry, I - I was starving, I broke in to find some food."  
  
She eyed him. "You ate the pie, didn't you?" He was sure that under normal circumstances, her voice would have been amused but accusing.  
  
He nodded.  
  
She shook her head, exasparation in her eyes. "Well, most of it," he amended. She shrugged.  
  
In her strange voice, she said slowly, "You're Sirius Black, aren't you?"  
  
He gave a violent start and stared at her.  
  
"Are you a - a -"  
  
She smiled and nodded, producing a wand. "Just because I'm deaf doesn't mean I'm useless."  
  
Feeling bad, Sirius started to say, "I never said -"  
  
"Oh, it's fine. I read about you in the paper. The IProphetI. Useless posh, most of it. But part of that article about you was the truth."  
  
"Then why aren't you calling me in?"  
  
"Oh," she said dismissively, "I will, I'm just going to wait until you've had a proper chance to get away." She smiled again. "I'm a Seer. I've actually been expecting you, or someone quite like you, in any case." Her dull voice took on an edge, to his surprise, but then, he supposed, perhaps magic allowed her some use of her voice that Muggle deaf people couldn't have, or something like that. "You aren't as bad as they want us to think. It wasn't quite an accident, was it? But you didn't mean him to die. Goodness, no. You aren't a good boy, but you aren't bad, either. I'm almost sorry I'm going to call you in. Go on, then. Go eat some more of my pie. Then go, and I'll wait until you're a while gone to call them. I'll give you time to get away, and if you deserve that time you'll succeed."  
  
Dumbfounded, Sirius said quietly, "Why?"  
  
"Why?" He nodded. "Because you're still young, and reckless, and you deserve a chance to be that way. And because of other things, which I really can't tell you. I'd better not say any more. Go eat. Raid my refrigerator. And then go."  
  
"Thank you," he said numbly, and did as she told him to.  
  
When he thought he had run for long enough and his feet were very sore, Sirius wondered whether he had dreamed it. But he could still taste the black caps. 


End file.
